Convertible vehicle body



A. A. KRAMER.

CONVERTIBLE VEHICLE BODY.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 5, 1921.

1,425,596. Patented Aug. 15, 1922;

2 SHEETSSHEET I INI'ENTOR 4 are/flaw A 77km? Y A. A. KRAMER.

CONVERTIBLE VEHICLE BODY.

APPLICATION FI LED FEB. 5, 1921.

Patented Aug. 115, 1922.

'umrso STATES,

PATENT mm.-

ANDREW A. KRAMER, or KANSAS CITY, iirrssounr.

CONVERTIBLE VEHICLE BODY.

Specification of Letters Patent. P t t d j15, 22

Application filed February 5, 1921. Serial No. 442,698.

To all whom it may ooncem:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW A. KRAMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art'to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which. form a part of this specification;

This invention relates to vehicle bodies and particularly, to a convertible body adapted to be used as a truck or platform body, an express body, a dump body, or a stake body; that is, the invention is capable of being utilized as a straight platform body, as a body closed at.the sides and ends, or stakes may be substituted for the sides" and ends, the enclosed body being also adapted to be swung upon pivots whereby the body ma be dumped.

t is one of the purposes of my invention I to construct theb'ody of steel so that it will be strong, durable and efficient.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspectiveview of a platform body, showing the removable sides and ends ready to be applied thereto to convert the same into an expr'ess body. r

'Fig. 2 is a sectional view through ,the dowel or stake-receiving sockets of the platform portion.

Fig. 3 is a'side elevational view, partly in section, of the device converted into a dump bo y,

Fig. 4; is a vertical, sectional view on the line 44 of Fig; 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the platform member and a part of I the stake side, and

- fastening means.

Fig. 6 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view through a slightly modified form of .The platform is shown as comprising a bed which may beconveniently constructedv of a center channel and two slde angle 'members "of substantially Z-shaped form. The

central member consists of a floor plate sec tion 1, having dependingfianges 2 .and 3 parallel with and abutting against the vertical flanges; f1 and-5 of the side members 6 and 7 The side members .of theplatformwith continuous end si11s34= (see 'Fig. 1-)

are substantially Z-beam shaped that is, the members are provided with the vertical Webs 4 and 5, the inwardly projecting flanges 8 and 9 and outwardly projectingfloor sheet members 10 and 11 terminating in downwardly and inwardly bent flanged portions 12 and 13 respectively, the portions 12 and 13 1n themselvesconstituting channels to support socket members, as will be presently explained.

The depending flanges 2 and 3 of the cen- I tral member 1 rest upon the inbent' flanges 8 the respective members being welded toand 9 of the Z-beam side members 6 and '7,

getherto form acontinuousbed or sheet, relnforced by transversesillsor transoms 14s aligning with end. members 15 and, 16:

The flange ends or channels 12 and 13 at convenient points carry tubular sleeves or sockets 17, which are welded therein ,andwhich allgn with openings 18 in the plat-- form aligning with openings 19 in the bot-' toms of the channels 12 and 13', as will be apparent by Fig. 2'. r V

The removable express portion of the body is shown as consisting of vertical side plates '1 20 and 21, flanged-over, as at 22 and con nected: at their front ends by a front channel 23, the rear ends being connected by a hinged end gate 24 on the pivots 25 and 26 so as to normally close the rear endof the receptacle or express portion formed by the sides 20, 21 and 23. The sides 20 and 21 also have lower flanges 27 to which are secured spaced hollow'dowels or tubes. 28,- fastened to the respective flanges and extending below the side walls to. form dowel portions 29, receivable-.within the openings. 18 and; Within the tubular portions or sockets 17,v

the portions 29, constitutingstakes to fasten-'1 the sides and ends to the platform. Thelower portions of the dowels orstake portions 29 have welded therein' nuts30, which are adapted to be engaged by. the. winged bolts' 31 having the wings o'r' handles. 32,

as indicated in Fig.2,ltoen'gage1the'same whereby th,

maybe rigidly fastened to theiside-mem hers .6 and 7,v the shoulders: '33; bearing edowels or'stake ;.poi'tions;29

against the under side of" theflanged members '12 and 13 I and, the 'threaded portions engaging the'nu ts, as will" be cleagly'apparent by-Lreferenc'e 'to'Fig. -2;

The ends'mf th'e platform are branded When the devioel-is used a truck,

platform will serve the purpose of support ing the load. -When the vehicle is to be converted into an express vehicle, the sides and ends, as shown in Fig. 1, will be fastened to the platform by introducing the projecting portions or stakes 29 into the openings 18 and then securing the same through the medium of the fastening devices consisting of the bolts.31 and their wings or lever portions 32. The end gate may be held in position by means of the hooked portions 35 and 36, which are pivoted to the rear of the platform, as at 37 and which are connected to an actuating lever 38 at the forward portion 7 any suitable hoist being provided to raise of the vehicle through the longitudinal links 39, there being a cam action between the lever 38 and links 39 so that when the hooks 35 and 36 engage the transverse rod 40 the forward end thereof.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a slightly modified form of platform 45, in which socket members 46 are provided, the stakes or tubes 28' being receivable therein in the same manner that the tubes 28 with their stake ends 29 are received inthe form shown in Fig. 1. In the form shown in Fig. 6, however, the bolt extends upwardly from a nut or base 47 through the top of the tube and through the upper flange of the side walls,

being fastened by a fastening device c'on-.

sisting of a nut 48"and a wing 49. 7

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the device may initially be used as a platform wagon or vehicle, that the same may be readily converted into an express vehicle, that a stake body may be provided by usingthe skeleton frame or stakes 28 and.

ends 29 without the continuous sides and ends or that the device may be converted into a dumping vehicle if desired.

The advantage of such a construction is that a vehicle, particularly of the motor truck type, may have a greater range of utility and usefulness than the ordinary constructionof vehicle now available.

It will also be apparent that the device is strong and durable and that itv may be read ily constructed of sheet metal except for the sta es,whicli may be of commercial tubing.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is i 1. In a vehicle, a platform comprising a center plate having depending flanges, side plates connectedto the center plate, each having an inner depending flange with a laterally projecting flange on the edge there;

of, the depending flange of each side plate and a depending flange of the center plate lying one against'the other, depending flanges on the side plates having inturned edges, tubular socket members interposed between the inturned edges of the depending flanges on the side plates and the lower faces of the side plates, said tubular sockets having openings aligning with openings in the side plates whereby stake pockets are formed,

and means for fastening the tubular socket I members to the side plates.

2. In a vehicle, a platform comprising a center plate having dependin flanges, side plates connected to the, center p ate, each having an inner depending flange with a laterally projecting flange on the edge thereof, the depending flange of each side plate and a depending flange of the center plate lying one against the other, depending flanges on the side plates having inturned edges, tubular socket members interposed between the inturned edges of the depending flanges on the side plates and the lower faces of the side plates, said tubular sockets having openings aligning with openings in the side plates whereby stake pockets are. formed, means for fastening the tubular socket members to the side plates, and removable stakes receivable in the socketmembers.

3. Ina vehicle, a platform comprising a a of, the depending flange of each side plate and a depending flange of the center plate lying one against the. other, depending flanges on the side plates having inturned edges, tubular socket members interposed between the inturned edges of the depending flanges on the side platesand the lower faces of the side plates, said tubular sockets having openings aligning with openings in the side plates whereby stake pockets are formed, means for fastening the tubular socket members to the side plates, a removable body portion consisting of connected side members having tubular depending dowels receivable in the socket members, and means for fastening the dowels within the socket members, said means comprising threaded nuts within the tubular dowels and a threaded clamp having a head, one end of which bears against the inturned edge of one of the flanges olithe side plates and having threaded means .for engaging the nuts.

4:, A vehicle body comprising two members, one of which is a base and the other a vertical wall, stake-receiving sockets'inteare vertical, stakescarried by the wall and engagingthe socket openings, nuts rigidly gral with the base, the openings of which 7 secured-within the lower ends of the stakes,

and anexternally threaded'locking means 'for each stake having a shoulder bearing against the end of the socket and engaging the nut in the stake which the locking means is to secure.

5. A vehicle body comprising a base having integral side flanges bent under the base to form socket floors, the base having openings in line with the bent-under portions of the flanges to receive stakes, a vertical Wall structure having tubular stakes rigid therewith receivable in the openings and having their bottom portions resting upon the flanges, internally threaded members in the stakes, and externally vthreaded members" ANDRE-W A: KRAMER; 

